Hurghada 's multiplicity of approaches makes it more accessible than its location suggests. Vehicles go flat out along the coastal highway and desert roads, but a full tank of petrol is essential - there are few pumps en route.
From Alexandria
Superjet (ŁE75) and Upper Egypt (ŁE60) both have one bus daily to Hurghada. EgyptAir fly on Monday and Friday (8.45am; 2hr; US$176) via Sharm el-Sheikh.
From Cairo
Twice daily EgyptAir flights (1hr; US$131 one-way) need to be booked several days ahead over winter. There are eight buses daily from the Ahmed Helmi or Turgoman terminals, three of them A/C Superjets (ŁE47-60), the others Upper Egypt (ŁE45). During the morning there may also be service taxis to Hurghada (ŁE40) from the Ahmed Helmi depot.
From Suez
The 410km from Suez can be covered in five hours by service taxi (ŁE25 per person), or at a less perilous speed by one of the eleven daily buses (ŁE21-26), most with A/C. Service taxis leave from just outside the Arba'in Terminal, while buses to Hurghada leave from Bus Station No. 2, near the train station. You should be able to get a bus ticket at an hour's notice, except during the Hadj season or major Muslim festivals.
From Sinai
Suez can serve for connections if you can't afford direct transport from Sinai. Early bookings are advised for EgyptAir flights to Hurghada from Sharm el-Sheikh (currently departing Mon 3.30am, Sat 6am & Sun 11.30pm; US$96). At time of writing the airport at St Catherine's Monastery was closed except to private charter planes, but may reopen to scheduled flights in 2001. The ninety-minute journey across the Gulf of Suez by catamaran (Mon, Tues, Thurs & Sat departures at 6pm; US$33/ŁE115, cars ŁE250) can be booked in Sharm el-Sheikh through Travco (tel 069/661-111); it's not worth saving US$6 to travel on the much slower and unreliable ferry . Schedules vary according to the season and the catamaran is liable to be out of service for several weeks in the late spring for maintenance. Catamaran bookings can also be made through Travco in Cairo (daily 9am-5pm; tel 02/342-0488), Luxor (daily 9am-3pm & 7-9pm; tel 095/383-811, fax 374 845) and Aswan (daily 9am-3pm & 7-9pm; tel 097/316-393, fax 315 960) - a more reliable option for advance bookings than the hotels in any of these cities.
From the Nile Valley
During winter, hordes of travellers come from Luxor, whence there are five daily buses (4hr; ŁE20) via Qena and Safaga. Alternatively, take a service taxi to Qena, walk to another taxi depot and catch a service on to Hurghada (4hr; ŁE15). There are three buses a day from Aswan (8hr; ŁE35) via Safaga, while a few service taxis cross the desert between Beni Suef and Za'farana, or Qift and El-Quseir. Weekly EgyptAir flights from Luxor (Wed 12.30am; US$55) should be booked as far ahead as possible.
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